Weed puller



N. TULLIO WEED FULLER v March 19, 1940.

Filed April 10, 1939 INVENTOR. film/01.0.5 751.410 BY 4 mI/ m/ATTORNEYS.

'' Patented Mar. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ,Qalsaasss v WEEDPULLER v p I Nicholas Tul lio," Cleveland Heights, Ohio Applicants April10, 1939, Serial No. 261,129

sola'ims. (01. 55-155 -This invention relates to the art of garden irn-'v ple'ments and is an improvement in a deviceffor 5 tool or implement bywhich the weeds of various sorts can be pulled out of the ground by theroots so as to eradicate the same. I A further object is to devise suchan implement that canbe manipulated without having to bend 10 over,thereby making the operation much less tiring than the old practice. v I

The specific structure of my improved implement is also to'be regardedas constituting an object of my invention, as hereinafter more fullydescribed. i Other. objects will appear from the following descriptionand claims when considered together with the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of my complete assembly; Fig. 2 is an enlargedview of the lower portion thereof;

Fig. 8 is a view taken atninety degrees to Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a. lowerend view'thereof; and 05 Fig. 5 is a view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2. Itis to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely forthe purpose of illustration and that there may be'devised variousmodifications thereof without departing from the spirit of my inventionas herein set forth and claimed.

30 In the present form of illustration, as'shown herein, the tool itselfis attached to handle I which is of suitable length and form to becarried in much the same manner as a cane, that iswlthout requiring theuser to bend over while pulling the weeds from the ground. The lower endof the handle portionis tapered so as to be received and secured withinthe upper hollow end portion 2 of the tool itself, such attachment beingeffected by means-of a pin 3.. k

40 The lower part of the tool is of comparatively .flat form, asindicated by, reference numeral 4, which terminates in thesubstantially. round pointed end portion 5 which is adapted to beinserted into theground. Just above the end por- 45 tion 5 there is thesubstantially wide portion is which has the laterally and downwardlyextending spear hook portion 1' which has aninclin-ation of aboutforty-five degrees with respect to the flat surface of the adjacent partof the tool.

It will be observed that just below the base of the spearhook I there isa recess 8, fora purpose to be explained. At a point above the spearhook I there is a substantially wider portion 9 which has the laterallyand downwardly extending spear hookportion Illwhich bears approximatelythe same angular relation as does the'portion I. Q It will be observedthat the'hook portion I is of greater, extent thanlthe hook! and thatthe remess I I atthebase thereof is of greater depth both laterally andvertically. It should be observed also that the hook portions 1 and Illare so ar-. ranged as to bear a somewhat tapering relation with respectto the pointed end 5, thereby facilitating the insertion of the toolinto the ground to the full extent required. The. hook portions 10 arealso formed in such manner-that they may readily be inserted into theground, both as the tool is first inserted into the ground and thenturned about the longitudinal axis thereof, as

will be now explained. i 5:

This tool will, of course, be employed at a time when the ground issufliciently soft to permit insertion of the pointed end of the toolthereinto to the required depth. As such insertion proceeds, the hooks Iand III will be brought into close juxtaposition to the roots of theweeds, whereupon the tool will be given a turning motion about itslongitudinal axis so as to cause the weed roots to be twisted about thetool for removal. This is accomplished by virtue of the fact that 26 theroots are engaged within the recesses 8 and I I, especially the latter,and then are engaged with a twisting action by the spear hooks I and Inwhich efiectivjely grip the roots in much the same manner as the fingersof the human hand. 30 That is, the hooks l and II) are so constructedand arranged and are so engaged with the roots that they are effectivein twisting themselves about the roots and then pulling the sameupwardly so as to remove the same. In this connection, it will beobserved that the recesses -8 and I 5, especially the recess I I, extendto a point above the elevation of the corresponding ends of the hooks "Iand Hi, respectively.

Not only will my particular form of hook por- 40 tions permitthe readyinsertion of the same into the ground, but they can also be readilywithdrawn from the ground without causing any serious disturbance of thesame, it being merely necessary to place the foot upon thev sod whichhas been somewhat loosened by the removal of I the weed and its rootswith the tool. Y

This tool can be made and sold at a comparatively low price and thedegree of efficiency with which it can be used, both as to ease ofoperation and success in theresults obtained, should recommend it forvery extensive use for the purpose intended. Instead of the laboriousand ineffective practice of pulling only the top parts of the weedswhich soonreturn, my present implement can be said hook portions so asto receive the roots of the weeds for twisting engagement by the upperhook portion upon turning the shank about its longitudinal axis.

2. A weed puller comprising a shank with a' pointed end substantiallyround in form, said shank having two vertically spaced; downwardly andinwardly and laterally inclined spear hooks above said end portion, thelower one of said spear hooks being of less lateral extent than theupper one so that said spear hooks and pointed end portion have anover-all substantially taperingerelatio'n with each other, said shankbeing recessed in the region beneath said spear hooks so as toprovidespace for receiving the roots for twisting engagement by thespear hooks upon turning the shank about its longitudinal axis. g

3. A weed puller comprising a shank withfa substantially fiat portionand an adjacent substantially round pointed end portion, said fiatportion having a comparatively wide upper portion and a comparativelynarrow middle portion; said upper and middle portions havingcorrespondingly extending substantially spacedspear hooks projectingdownwardly andinwardly and angularly from" the flat shank portions, thelower one of said spear hooks being-of less lateral extent than I theupperone so that said upper and middle portions with their spear hookshas a generally downwardly tapering relation with respect to thepointed-end portion, said shank portion being formed withverticallyand'laterally extending recesses of substantial verticalextent in the region of the bases of the spear hooks so as to receivethe roots of the weeds for twisting engagement by the spear hooks uponturning the shank about its longitudinal axis. Y

' NICHOLAS TULLIQ;

Patent No. 2,1'9L5556.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

1 March 19, 19m. I NICHOLAS TULLIO I It is hereby certified that errorappears in the printed specification of. the above numbered patentrequiring correction as follows: Page 2, first column, linel8, claim 2,for the word "laterally" read -angularly--; and

that the said Letters Patent should be. read with this correctiontherein that the same may conform to the record of the case in thePatent Office.

Signed and sealed this lhth day of May, A. D. l9h0.

, I Henry Van Arsdale, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

